Kodoku no Shi
by Autumn Xavier
Summary: Set after Arrancar arc, Inoue remembers the Cuatro Espada, Ulquiorra and her love for him. Please RR. Rated for language, violence, some sexual stuff. UlquiHime. Oneshot.


AN: So, I've been reading one too many Bleach fanfics of various pairings, mostly UlquiHime ones. FTW! Why? I have no idea...but I am fully supporting that one - despite how sad it's going to be when it's over. So...here's another one-shot, because I like those. Oh, I use grey eyes for Orihime because I like those on her - much more interesting than boring brown (grey eyes are in the anime). The rest is manga though. Potential spoilers? Maybe...

* * *

The cold glass was pressed against her forehead as her grey eyes looked down at the streets below her apartment, watching as the people below tried to avoid the rain falling from the skies. The rain that so represented her mood, the tears that had stained her alabaster cheeks. Her mind was haunted by the memories of him, the Espada who had been her guardian and protector. The soft scents that lingered on him and his clothes, the smell of burning wood. The dark strands of hair that fell between emerald eyes that were so empty when she had first met him.

The thoughts brought her back to Hueco Mundo, of the time she had spent under his care and the tears came again as she wrapped her arms tighter around herself, pulling her knees up under her chin. Stray strands of her golden hair fell between her eyes and she buried her face in her hands. She had been brought there by Aizen, forced to go to save her friends. He had been assigned to watch over her, to force her to eat and to bring her before his master when she was called for.

"_Ulquiorra, I put her under your supervision," Aizen said to the cuatro Espada. He responded with a simple shrug, unsure of why he had been given the tedious task of babysitting this grown woman. _

"_Very well, Aizen-sama," he replied, turning to look at the woman before him. She was staring at the maimed body of the other Espada, the blood that was spilling out onto the floor. The blue haired Espada stood over her, laughing manically as the blood rolled down his replaced arm. Grabbing the woman's arm, he pulled her away from the scene she was transfixed upon. "Woman, follow me. I will show you to where you will be living."_

She never thought that the Espada could feel anything but rage, hate, and relish in bloodshed. But she had been wrong and he had shown her that, though his methods weren't exactly the right approach. He tolerated at first, merely acknowledging her nonsense and pointless conversation because he had no choice otherwise. She wasn't even sure herself of when he began to see her as anything other than trash, a word he used quite often to describe those around him. How had she ever come to earn his respect was beyond her but she could still recall the look of his face when she had been taken by the blue-haired Espada.

"_You have no right to touch what isn't yours, Grimmjow," he said, standing before him. The girl was hanging from his arm, the orange-haired shinigami on the floor behind them. The jade pools were filled with hated and fury, glaring at the man in front of him and the occasional glance at the woman in his arms. _

"_Eh? You referring to Pet-sama, here or the bastard you left for dead?" Grimmjow taunted._

_Taking a step forward, he scoffed. "Che, trash. Both of them are mine," He attacked the other Espada, their fight over their prey lasted only minutes before he was caught off-guard and caught by Grimmjow's negacion._ _With her protector missing, she had no choice but to do as Grimmjow demanded and heal Kurosaki-kun, only to have to watch him get torn apart again all while comforting the strange green-haired child. The girl's body changed to that of a grown woman, one whose figure easily rivaled that of Matsumoto-san and joined the battle. So many were involved in this fight that she couldn't keep track of the changes - the last thing she remembered was the arrival of the 11__th__ division captain before she was thrown to the side. Pulling herself from the ground, she looked into the fierce emerald eyes of her guardian, as his arms wrapped around her waist and they were gone from the fight._

_The halls were empty as they returned to Las Noches, the sounds of their shoes echoing against the barren, empty walls. Ulquiorra's grip on her never loosened as he stormed off in the direction of her room. Kicking open the door, it slammed against the wall as he dragged her into the room and threw her down against the bed. "If anyone other than me enters this room, Woman," he said, turning to look out the window. "Tell me and I'll deal them. You are Aizen-sama's property and no one else. Especially that bastard Grimmjow or Nnoitra_, _understand?"_

"_Y-yes, Ulquiorra-san. Umm.." she said, hesitantly. She sat on the edge of the bed, twirling her fingers through her golden hair._

"_What is it?" He snapped, looking over his shoulder to the girl. _

"_Ah! Well, it's nothing really..."she stammered, looking away from the Espada's green gaze piercing through her. "It's just..."_

_He sighed, sticking his hands inside his pockets as he turned to face her. "What is it, woman?"_

"_It's just...I have a name. Orihime...Inoue Orihime."_

"_Yes, I am aware of that. But I don't see the need to address you so informally. You are a prisoner here, and you serve Aizen-sama. There isn't a need for me to address you any other way."_

"_Ah...okay. I just...figured...since we see so much of each other..." her voice trailed off. Her eyes began to gloss over and he hoped that she wouldn't start crying again. He'd never understand these pointless emotions humans had - the girl cried for everything and he hated watching her do it. He couldn't explain why it bothered him so much, but the sight of tears falling from her face was depressing...and it pissed him off._

"_Very well, woman," he conceded, rolling his eyes as he left the room. "I'll be back in an hour to bring your food...Inoue-san."_

The sound of her name rolling off his lips was still hypnotic as it echoed in her ears, it still sent shivers down her spine. It was the first time he had shown anything other than impassive to her, an expression that had been somewhere between fear and protective. Perhaps it had been because she was Aizen's slave, perhaps because he had become accustomed to her presence in Las Noches. Orihime sighed and wiped the tears away with a finger, flinching at her own touch. His touch had been soft, softer than she had imagined. He was surprisingly gentle with her, as opposed to the cruel exterior he portrayed to those around him. But she had seen past that to what he had kept hidden in the depth of his heart - the human side that resided within the Hollow he had been.

"_Ulquiorra-san, how many Arrancar reside in Las Noches?" Her question took him by surprise but he simply shrugged. _

"_More than 100. The Espada comes to ten, and then there are the lower Arrancar referred to as Numeros. Their numbers range from eleven to one hundred. Former Espada become Privaron, stronger than the Numeros. Most of them will be sent to fight your friends before we are sent. It seems your friends have retreated for the moment, gathering what little strength they have. The strongest Espada have yet to join this pointless war," he replied, watching as the girl listened intently from her bed. _

"_Ah, and you...will you go?"_

"_Only if I am ordered to. My duties to Aizen-sama are to remain here and watch you, feed you, and make sure you are untouched by the others."_

"_If you leave, please choose anyone other than Nnoitra-san to take your place. I'd even prefer to have Grimmjow-san instead."_

_Fire flared within the Espada's emerald eyes as his head turned to face the girl. "What has Nnoitra done to you?"_

"_Well, erm...nothing...recently. He's just really creepy and scary when he's here. He should drink more water because his mouth is always dry."_

_An image of that bastard kissing the girl burned itself into Ulquiorra's mind and his slender fingers wrapped around her wrist as he pulled her from the bed. Her face flushed a bit as he pulled her closer to him as his free hand cupped her face, letting his fingers trail across her lips. "Did he touch you?_"

"_N-no, Ulquiorra-san. He-he just always seems to be licking his lips when he's around me, like he's thirsty," she stammered, finding herself in need of a drink instead of Nnoitra. A sigh escaped her lips as the Espada slowly released his grip on the girl before storming out of the room, leaving her face warm and legs weak._

_Later she was brought before Aizen-sama, a cruel, knowing grin on his face as she approached his dias, bowing slightly. He pointed to a body on the floor, long in length and thinner than a pole, she recognized it as the bloodied form of Nnoitra. She gasped and her grey eyes found their way to her Espada guardian, his emerald eyes emotionless as usual._

"_It seems one of your nakama tried to catch him by surprise. Would you be so kind as to heal him, Orihime-san?" The Arrancar King asked her, his dark gaze set intently upon hers. A forced nod was her response before her Shun Shun Rikka came to life, letting Ayame and Shun'o reverse the damage Nnoitra had received. He coughed, blood escaping his mouth as the spirits healed his wounds and he forced himself to stand. _

"_I don't need that arrogant woman to heal me. Once she's done being useful to you, Aizen-sama, I would love to have the pleasure of killing her myself," he spat, his glare on the girl's terrified face, the uncanny smile tracing his face. He tried to move toward her but he found the cold blades of Gin and Tousen's zanpakutous pressed against either side of his neck. _

"_Show more respect to Aizen-sama. Inoue-san is a guest here and you would do well to remember that she is not to be harmed. Aizen-sama needs her powers, which are something someone like you could never appreciate, Nnoitra," Tousen said, malice lining his words. _

"_Hai, hai, Nnoitra-kun! Ya best be believin' what Tousen-kun says, ya don' want to end up on his bad side!" Gin added, his kitsune smile never faltering. The Espada scoffed as he pushed the two swords away from his neck and turned to leave the hall, pausing briefly as he passed Ulquiorra._

"_Ulquiorra-san, take Inoue-san back to her room, but do not stay too long. I might be needing your services shortly," Aizen said, his smile growing slightly larger than before._

_He bowed before his master, keeping his gaze low. His green eyes motioned to Orihime that she was to follow him and follow she did, the walk back to her quarters was spent in silence. He opened the door and led her inside, where she turned to face him. "You did it, didn't you? How could you hurt one of your own comrades? Aren't the Espada friends?"_

_If she hadn't been watching him, she might have thought she had imagined it but she saw his raised eyebrows as he gave a soft chuckle. "Friends? You think us Espada are actually friends? We merely exist together because of one thing, and one thing only. We were created by Aizen-sama and for that, we are required to stay here by his side. None of us are friends, we merely tolerate some of us more than others. To be honest, I couldn't give a shit if all of the others died or not. They are simply in my way, they're trash. I did what I did to that bastard because he should learn not to touch what isn't his. You belong to Aizen-sama first, and then you belong to me. If it wasn't for Aizen-sama needing your powers, I could easily kill you within seconds."_

"_If you hate me so much, then haven't you treated me the way the others have?_ _Why do you check me all the time? As long as I'm alive, I'm still useful, right? What does it matter what condition I am in?" She said, her eyes looking at the floor._

_He was taken back by her words, unsure of how to respond. He wasn't sure himself why he was always drawn to her room, even when he had made sure she had eaten. Ever since that bastard Grimmjow had taken her without his permission, he hadn't really left her for more than a couple of hours at a time. The last few weeks he had spent too much time around her that he had grown used to her presence, strangely finding an unusual level of comfort in simply talking to her, even about the most trivial subjects that he didn't seem to understand. It was so...humanlike...to be around her. It was more...pleasant around her. It was almost like he did care about what happened to her._

_He didn't know what made him do it, or why he thought it was a good idea. It honestly happened too fast for him to ever register himself. But in the few seconds in which he had pressed his lips against hers, he felt a strange sensation growing within that couldn't be explained and even more strange was that is almost felt like she had responded to it...almost. He pulled apart from her, her face still in his hands as his eyes looked into the grey pools that reflected nothing but confusion and pure shock back at his own, which showed her nothing at all. Letting his hands fall from her face, he turned to leave. "I'll return in the morning with your breakfast, woman."_

"_Orihime," she replied, her voice weak._

"_...Orihime."_

Her fingers traced her lips, slightly parted as if expecting him to do it again. She couldn't describe his taste, but the memory she had of it was nothing but sweetness. Soft, gentle and sweet. Every night, just as he was leaving, he had found new ways of kissing her so that she was left breathless and weakened. The feel of his tongue moving inside of her mouth, exploring, tasting her kiss. Just the thought sent her stomach alive with butterflies, shivering slightly with the way those kisses had often became more. As much as she tried to fight them, the tears came again at the thought of just how much more it had become.

_He had been gone for two days, and already being without her was driving him insane. But he had done what Aizen had told him to do. He had found other Vasto Lordes eager to gain new power and brought them to Las Noches, after all, he had been one of them once. And Aizen could use his abilities to turn them into Espada, to replace those who had been killed during the last few battles. _

_But Ulquiorra's thoughts weren't on the upcoming fights, his thoughts were on her and how he had been forced to leave her with Grimmjow. The bastard's smile had stretched from ear to ear as he was leaving, his arms wrapped around Orihime's shoulders. And as the door slid shut, he thought he saw Grimmjow leaning all too close to her lips. Her room was just in front of him now and as he slid the door open, she jumped, looking at him with wide-eyes._

"_Ulquiorra...Ulquiorra!" She whispered, standing to meet his gaze. Hesitantly, she stepped toward him before he opened his arms to her and she threw herself against his chest. He could feel her body shaking against his, her face buried against him. Slowly with one hand, he turned her chin up toward him, his thumb wiping away her tears._

"_What the fuck did he do to you?" His voice was lined with fury and concern, but his eyes showed no emotion._

_Orihime shook her head, letting her eyes fall from his jade eyes. "He...he told me...things...about...," her voice cracked but she fought back the tears._

"_Don't lie for that trash, Orihime. What did he do?!" His fingers gripped her arms as he gave her a small but forceful shake._

_Again, she shook her head. "No-nothing. He tried to but...my shield...and Tsubaki..."_

_The Espada growled under his breath as he began to leave but something had caught his arm. He looked over his shoulder at the girl who had wrapped both of her arms around his one, pressing it against her chest. "Don't leave me...please...don't leave me again."_

_He studied her for a moment before taking her hand into his own and pulling her toward him. His hand slid through her golden hair as he took her head and brought his lips down to meet hers, relishing in their softness. His tongue flicked the top of her lip, opening it just enough to allow him to enter her mouth. Their kiss deepened as her fingers gently gripped the back of his neck, pressing her body against his. His lips inched away from her mouth across her cheek to her neck, where his kiss sent trembles down her back. "Do you want this?" He asked, his words partially muffled by the strands of her hair._

"_Ulquiorra...please," she whispered, letting her fingers run through his hair. His long, pale fingers wrapped around the clasp at her neck, and with one move, it was undone, allowing him more access to her body. Every kiss he placed on her was soft, giving every part of her adequate attention before another clasp came undone. He slid the overcoat off of her shoulders and let it fall to floor, exposing the skin underneath as his lips began to kiss this new nakedness. He paid special attention to the part of her body where her collarbone met in the front...the same place where the hole in his chest resided. He nibbled gently on the skin there, earning another moan from Orihime and tightening the grip she had on his hair. Bringing her closer to him, he ran his hand down her back, pulling down the zipper that held her dress close._

_The feel of her chest rubbing against him was more than arousing, more so than he would have liked to admit. A tingling sensation followed as her slender fingers trailed from his neck to his chest, gently wrapping around the zipper just below his chin. She pulled down on it, uncovering the hole in his chest and his mark, the number four, and his strength. Her hand rested just below the hole, tracing the edges of it. Somehow it didn't bother her, it only made him that much more appealing to her, that much more mysterious. Her hand slid down his chest to his brand, her fingers following the strokes of it before running her hands back up his chest and over his shoulders, removing the coat from his body._

_Once again taking her head in his hands, his lips kissed hers, massaging them with his own as he brought her toward the bed. Supporting their weight, he lowered her to the mattress, one arm holding them up, the other holding her body against his. As she slid back into the bed, he sat between her legs, letting his hands runs down her sides to the ties of the hakama. His mouth followed the path his fingers had taken - down her neck, between her breasts though pausing here to gently tease each one, before continuing down her stomach and stopping just below her navel._

_Thin fingers pulled at the hakama's ties, letting the pants unveil the beauty underneath as he slowly pulled them from under her ass and down her legs before pulling the final bits of cloth that covered her entrance. His lips danced across her calves and up her thighs, his tongue licking the sweetened sweat that had formed on her skin. She gasped as he grew closer to her womanhood, his fingers teasing her as he watched the pleasure build on her face._ _It was a torture he was enjoying putting her through, the sounds of her moans and whimpers increasing his arousal more. _

_Pulling at his own hakama ties, he slid the pants off of his body and looked down at Orihime, who had let out a small gasp when he had removed his hakama. His green eyes met the beautiful smoky orbs of hers, and leaned into her kiss again. "I'll be gentle," he spoke softly into her ears. Running his hand down her leg, he slid it under her knee and lifted it up slightly, to allow himself an easier entrance. Slowly and gently, he pushed his way into her, feeling the tightness of her wrapping around him. He waited for her to become accustomed to his size before entering all the way. A soft moan escaped her lips as the pain of her virginity subsided and he began to thrust, short at first until she was comfortable with it then longer ones, with increased force and speed. Her body moved with each time he thrust, her fingers gripping his hair as she moaned into his shoulder. _

"_Orihime...," he panted, realizing that he would soon be at his limit. The tightness of her was coiling around him, squeezing him, bringing him closer to the edge. Pulling her up onto his lap while still inside of her, he wrapped his arms around her and lifted her with the same rhythm they had before. Her arms were around his neck and she gasped as she came, and shortly after he let out a moan of his own._

_The two were still for a moment, save for their panting chests against each others and the fingers that Orihime had wound into his hair while his traced the curve of her back. His lips kissed her collarbone again, before her lips greeted his. She smiled, the grey depths of her eyes meeting his as she nuzzled his neck, "Ulquiorra...I...I love you."_

But all of that seemed so long ago now. It had been too good to be true, such moments couldn't last forever. Especially not for her, because in the end, she knew she had to choose, even though she didn't want to. Her heart was torn between staying with him in Hueco Mundo or returning to the real world with her friends. She wanted to stay with him, but the insanity of it all, a human in love with a Hollow, more specifically an Espada - the strongest of all the Hollows? No, such a pairing could never end happily.

_She ran through the halls of Las Noches, the sounds of the fights going on all around her. Shinigami captains were fighting Numeros and Espada in every direction but she knew where she was going, she could feel his reiatsu over everyone else's. It was calling to her on a level that no other reiatsu did, pulling her to where she knew he would be. And there was another reiatsu that was mixing with his...Kurosaki-kun's._

_She stopped just outside of the hallway, watching the two men before her fighting, Kurosaki-kun with his mask and Ulquiorra, standing as expressionless as ever with one hand in his pocket, the other holding his zanpakutou."Konnichi-wa, Pet-sama," she gasped as two long arms wrapped around her waist. She turned to look at the disgusting man who held her against him. Nnoitra's demonic grin disappeared into her neck as he inhaled deeply."Ah, you smell like him. I take it he was a good fuck then? Got you all wet and excited? Oh, I bet you are tasty!"_

_He threw her away from him, her body slamming into the wall behind her. His body was covered in blood, pouring from the gashes across his body_._ In his hands, he was twirling his scythe, running his tongue over its edge. "That black haired shinigami captain was tasty too. Very pretty, he almost got me. But not before I got him. Here, have a taste!" He hurled the scythe toward her, the blood trailing behind it. Orihime pulled herself up in time to see the scythe a foot from her face but it was no longer moving. More blood was sliding down the blade toward her, as she looked into those hypnotic emerald eyes glossing over. _

"_Oh ho...what a treat! How pathetically sentimental!" The cinco Espada jeered, lifting the scythe and the body of the cuatro Espada with it. With his weight, he only slid further down the blade, blood running down into Nnoitra's face. "I think I can taste you in his blood, Pet-sama." _

"_Ori-hime...run..." he gasped, choking on his own blood, as he tried to support his weight._

"_So-so...ten...kiss...-hen," her mouth formed, but no words came out. Tears were streaming down her face as she looked at his body and the scythe that had pierced through it. Nnoitra laughed as he began twirling the scythe above his head, letting Ulquiorra's body fly off before catching him on the blade again. "So-ten...Ki-"_ _She never felt him grabbing her, or notice when he threw her over his shoulder and began running away from the two Espada. Her eyes could only focus on one thing, her guardian and protector, the man she loved and she couldn't even look away as Nnoitra kicked him into the air before swinging his scythe down on top of the smaller Espada._

_Her ears caught the faintest whisper on the wind, the tears never ending as he disappeared. "-Hime...love"_

Months had passedsince her return from Hueco Mundo, and yet she was still haunted by those memories of him. She tried to pretend like she was happy to be home again, happy to be around her friends but her happiness had died in that other world. She smiled for those around her, but they were faked and forced, she wouldn't smile for anyone anymore. Even now her eyes played tricks on her as she thought she saw him standing there, the rain running down his face into those emerald green eyes. Shaking her head, she looked away from the window at the untouched mug of tea Rangiku-san had left by her side this morning. She took a tiny sip as she brushed the strands of hair back from her face, rubbing her nose against her arm as she did. He had been right when he said she belonged to him, he still owned her heart and always would.

A knock on the door pulled her from her trance. She sighed as she put the mug back down on the table and forced herself to stand. "Rangiku-san, the spare key is under the mat," she said as she dragged herself to the door. Holding herself with one arm, she opened the door and peaked outside. "Rangiku must have put something in that tea," she said, half chuckling to herself as she tried to shut the door but a forceful hand held it open.

He sighed and shook his head as he stepped into the apartment. His dark hair was matted against his face, his emerald eyes locking with hers. He wore a simple white shirt over black pants, his arms each bearing a few bracelets. One hand pulled down on the collar of his shirt to reveal his neck, lacking the hole it once had. And it was gone...the mask that once covered the left side of his face was gone. She stepped back, her mouth open with shock and he used this to his advantage when he pressed his mouth to hers. Moments passed before he let go of her, her eyes still looking over him with unease and uncertainty. "Wha-...how?"

"The ex-shinigami who created the Hougyoku ...Urahara-san, was his name? He found me in Rukongai and offered me the chance to come back to Earth," he replied, letting his forehead rest on hers. "I said you belonged to me, and no one else."


End file.
